Beach Bliss

For as long as I can remember, I have loved water. Whether swimming in a pool, tubing on a lake, boogie boarding in the ocean, drinking an ice cold glass of it, or watching the sunset reflect off of it, there is something about it that speaks to my soul. Quite fitting considering my last name is Waterman.

Every year since I was around four, my family has vacationed to Naples, Florida once or twice a year. In addition, we have spent some time at the lakes in Minnesota and in the Atlantic at Virginia Beach. Each one of these vacations offers some much needed family time and adventure, but the most important thing that these experiences bring is what the water provides me with.

Water has a unique power that helps me relax and reset my perspective on life. The only other thing that compares to what I feel when looking out at the endless water horizon is when I drove into Times Square in Manhattan for the first time, but even that was more a sense of awe about human progress and innovation (I can talk about that in a different blog). Back to the beach...

While I like all forms and bodies of water, except for the deep blue ocean because the huge waves and darkness and unknown scare me, the ocean and beach have always called to me. The following five thoughts overwhelm my every sense every time I go to the beach.

1. The beach is grounding. I do not know if it is because I am barefoot on the sand, or because looking out at miles of water offers perspective, but I often leave the beach feeling so connected to this big and beautiful world. My life motto is "The world is waiting; go meet it" and I often leave the beach believing I have achieved this goal and feeling more connected to nature.

2. It is nature's greatest show. Standing with my feet in the water, hearing the waves crash around me, smelling the salt in the air, and watching the sunset on the horizon is a show that nature puts on every single day and it never gets old. Watching everyone at the beach put down their stressors and their phones, except to take a picture, to watch the show for 15 minutes is a reminder of the beauty of life and humanity. Although I think I could rewatch Just Go With It, Friends, Hamilton, and Grey's Anatomy hundreds of times, there is nothing quite like the show Mother Nature puts on at the beach. It stimulates all the senses in a way nothing else can.

3. The beach relaxes and brings perspective. It can be easy to get lost in the hustle and chaos of ordinary life, always stressing about what needs to get done next. But at the beach, I reach peak relaxation. And looking at the vastness and unknown of the ocean reminds me that this world is huge and beautiful. This reminder helps me reset my mind and focus on what truly matters; living and enjoying life, not just getting through it.

4. It is heaven. You know that common saying from the Field of Dreams... "Is this heaven?", "No, it's Iowa"? As much as I love and adore my home state, I often feel that the beach is heaven. If I had it my way, I would be welcomed into the afterlife being greeted by all the dogs I have ever loved, sitting on the beach, watching the sunset, with an ice cream cone in my hand. What could be better?

5. The beach is bliss. The definition of bliss is "complete happiness or joy", and there is nothing else on this Earth that provides me bliss more than the beach. The sunshine, the salt, the sea life, the palm trees, the sand, the sky, the ocean breeze; it is pure bliss. And when you are that happy, it does not even matter if you have sand everywhere (and I mean EVERYWHERE)

As you can see, the beach is my safe haven, my bliss, my happiness, and speaks to my soul on an intimate level. It is a reminder to not take life so seriously, to slow down and enjoy the little things. I thank God every day that I get to live on this big beautiful Earth, and get to experience beach bliss.

And as always, the beach is a reminder to stay authentic, ambitious, & aptly adventurous.